POLITICS
APC Responsible for Attack on PDP in Imo—-Onwuasoanya
From Marcel Duru, Owerri
The Spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representative candidate in Orlu Senatorial Zone, Onwuasoanya FCC Jones has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) government in Imo state of making frantic efforts and very deliberate media schemes to evade suspicion over the mindless carnage that took place at the residence of Ugochinyere Ikeagwuonu on
Saturday 14,2023.
Speaking with newsmen in Owerri, Imo State he said that this is expected, but sensible Imolites and Nigerians will not take whatever spins they churn out with a pinch of salt, for the following reasons;
“Governor Uzodimma is the Chief Security Officer of the State and has a responsibility to protect every resident of Imo State.
So, when there is a security breach in any part of the State, he is held responsible.”He revealed that Ikenga Ugochinyere had since November 2022 raised an alarm over threats from Governor Uzodimma and even provided evidence of a phone exchange between him and the governor’s closest aide, Chinasa Nwaneri, where he accused the latter of threatening to kill him. The governor did not take any action to punish his aide for harassing an innocent Imo citizen but had seemingly given him a pat on the back by allowing him unfettered access to paraphernalia of State power.
Jones further highlighted that Ikenga’s convoy was attacked by hooded gunmen who used an Armoured Personnel Carrier to block his convoy, ransacked the vehicle and allegedly harassed some of his guests who were been conveyed to Owerri after they attended his event. The governor has not explained whom these gunmen are and what Constitutional powers allows a civilian like Chinasa Nwaneri to commandeer a troop of armed men to attempt to abduct a citizen of the State.
“Ikenga’s predicament started the very day he exposed alleged infractions by the governor and his aides in the voters register, where he accused the governor of importing thousands of fake names into the voters register in his Omuma ward, with an aim to manipulate the 2023 elections. INEC has since confirmed that there were inconsistencies in the voter registration in Omuma.”
He added that Governor Uzodimma is the only person, at least in the last three months who has shown extrajudicial desperation to harm Ikenga and he has also failed to take any convincing action to bring those accused of being behind nefarious attempts to harm the young man.
Jones also stressed that Governor Uzodimma has not paid the Five Million Naira which Ikenga claimed a court in Abuja awarded in his favour, but the governor had rather, during the pendency of that order attempted to abduct the young man with a team of armed men led by his close aide, Chinasa Nwaneri.
“As the governor of the State and Chief Security Officer, Governor Uzodimma failed to deploy enough manpower to ensure that the hoodlums or agents who perpetrated that heinous terrorist act in Akokwa were apprehended. If the governor had acted immediately the alarm was raised over attacks on Ikenga’s house, there was no way those gunmen would have escaped.”
He therefore opined that more than twelve hours after the incident the governor is yet to either issue a statement condemning the incident nor visited the scene of the carnage, where at least four Imo sons were killed, many people injured and over One billion Naira worth of properties destroyed. This can be interpreted to mean that the governor is happy with the act and could be celebrating the tragedy that befell his political rival.
” Ikenga is not the only politician in Ideato or in Akokwa. He is not even the only candidate running for election in these areas, there is no logic that can convince any reasonable person that the murderous agents parading as secessionists and Nnamdi Kanu’s sympathizers could have been behind the violent attack and only targeted Ugochinyere who has been the most outspoken sympathizer of Nnamdi Kanu over the last one year and more.”
Meanwhile all the effort to get the comment of the Commissioner for Information and Strategy Chief Declan Emelumba and the Chief Press Secretary of the Governor Chief Oguwuike proved abortive.
A two-term member of Edo House of Assembly, Mr Ojezele Osesua, has dumped Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for All Progressives Congress (APC).
Osesua, representing Esan South-East Constituency, announced his defection on Monday in Benin at a news conference held at the APC state secretariat.
The development came less than two months after PDP lost the state to APC in the governorship election.
NAN also reports that the lawmaker was received by members of the State Working Committee (SWC) of the party headed by Jarrett Tenebe.
Osesua said that he decided to dump the opposition party over what he called”irreconcilable crisis.”
He said that his defection was like paying back a debt he owed the ruling when he left the party in 2020, after it had sponsored him to win election in 2019.
“In 2019, I was elected into the assembly on the platform of APC. Due to some challenges, I left the party and joined PDP after one year.
“Though I was elected on the PDP platform in 2023, I have been indebted to APC. It is that debt I have come to pay with my defection,” he said.
On his part, the APC chairman commended the legislator for joining the party.
Tenebe described Osesua as a ‘focused, election-winning’ member, adding: “It’s not APC’s fault that PDP has issues.
“You will recall that during the election campaigns, I said our doors were open and the doors are still open,” he said. (NAN)
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of politicising the recent stampedes in Abuja, Anambra, and Ibadan, where several lives were tragically lost.
In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, the APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Felix Morka, condemned the PDP’s actions, calling them “grossly indecent, insensitive, and despicable.
”Morka criticised the opposition party for using the national grief over the stampedes to launch a political attack on the APC-led administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Morka stated, “At a time of national grief over the stampedes that resulted in the deaths of citizens, the PDP seized the moment to engage in callous political chicanery.
“Rather than genuinely commiserate with the victims and their families, the PDP chose to politicise the tragedy, blaming the incidents on the APC government.”
He emphasised that the tragedies had united Nigerians in mourning and reflection, with a collective focus on how the incidents might have been avoided through better planning and organisation.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the victims and their families,” Morka added.
Morka also rebuked the PDP for exploiting the stampedes to attack the APC, particularly since the current administration was committed to addressing the challenges inherited from nearly two decades of PDP rule.
He reminded the PDP of the 2014 Nigerian Immigration Service recruitment stampede, which occurred under its administration, where many job seekers lost their lives.
“The PDP’s allegations only serve to remind us of its sordid record of maladministration and incompetence,” Morka said.
He noted that the party’s suggestion that President Tinubu’s administration was not committed to the welfare of Nigerians was “mischievous and out of touch with reality.”
He pointed to the current administration’s efforts to invest in alternative energy sources and the introduction of the Credit Corps scheme and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
Morka also highlighted salary reviews for workers and increased allowances for corps members as part of the government’s commitment to improving the welfare of Nigerians.
Morka further highlighted the government’s commitment to provide free and subsidised transportation during the holiday period, approving grants for farmers and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and other humanitarian initiatives.
He asserted that this administration is “the most people-centric in our history.”
He also dismissed the PDP’s claim that the APC’s policies had damaged the economy.
“For years, successive PDP governments operated a phantom economy riddled with distortions and corruption, deceiving Nigerians into believing the economy was thriving.”
Morka commended President Tinubu for suspending his scheduled activities to honour the victims and expressed condolences to the families affected by the tragedies.
He wished a speedy recovery to those injured in the incidents.(NAN)
By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
Journalists covering the Senate have honoured Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, with award on highest number of private member Bills sponsorship.
Records on Private Member Bills sponsorship among serving Senators in the 10th National Assembly , obtained from Rules and Business office , indicated that Senator Barau tops with 21 bills within the last 18 months.
One of the 21 private member bills sponsored by Senator Barau was the NorthWest Development Commission Bill which is now an Act of Parliament legalising the creation of North West Development Commission (NWDC) after assented to, by President Bola Tinubu.
Barau in his response to the honour, said it would make him to do more for his constituents in Kano North Senatorial District and Nigerians generally.
”Your recognition of my legislative inputs in the Senate within the last 18 months, particularly on series of development – driven bills sponsored so far, is something that will energize and propel me further to do more.
“Once you are given an award, it’s a kind of telling you to go and do more. To whom much is given, much is expected.
”This to me also is considered as your contribution to making sure that the legislature remains vibrant.
”Once you identify those who are doing well and you honour them through awards of this nature, that will create some kind of competition and will propel others to do more so that they can be recognized at some other time in the future.
”We can’t perform here in the best manner possible, without your contribution to what we are doing. And you are contributing in a very robust way to what we do here, making us as partners in progress for the good of Nigeria and Nigerians .
”So our relationship with you is sine qua non to our success. We can never succeed without you because without you reporting what happens here , Nigerians can’t know what we are doing,“ he said .
Earlier, the Chairman of the Corps, James Itodo, told the DSP that the honour is strictly on performance as contained in the records and not for any other thing.
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